Posts by freeman

45

Do you think JWS are a cult?

by Trixie in

jw
friends

do you think that the jw religion is a cult?

i believe that it is, but i wanted to get other people's opinion.

Hey Sexyteen,
You are correct; one of the dominant characteristics of a religious cult is that they exclusively follow the teachings of a leader. The leader often claims to speak for God, to be God’s representative on earth, his mouthpiece. And the followers are not allowed to disagree with the teachings of the leader as to do so would be tantamount to speaking against God. Do you know any leaders that fit that description? I’ll give you a hint: they live in Brooklyn and they make all the rules you have to follow.

They tell you what parts of blood you may accept and what parts you must refuse. They used to say you could not have an organ transplant to save your life, but they changed their minds now and say its OK if you want one. Have any idea who I am speaking about?

It’s the Governing Body, SexyTeen, it’s the governing body. They make and change the rules and all Jehovah’s Witnesses have to follow them, or didn’t you know that?

Freeman

20

The WT and Native Americans

by Valis in

jw
friends

i was just browsing the officail wt site...hmmm i thought we were, but just for the sake of this post i'll admit going there.

they have an article at the url below which i thought was hillarious.

it talks about how the native americans are facing more and more assimilation and the destruction of thier indigenous culture by "the world".

freeman

Valis,
As you know, the Watch Tower god is a jealous god and would not allow for any other deity or any questionable local customs to remain. All that makes the Native American Indian what they are must be converted for the sake of the TRUE faith. It reminds me of a people closely related to these Native Americans and their plight, the Alaskan Eskimos.

Many years ago as the missionaries indoctrinated them in this religion called Christianity, they destroyed their graven images of false worship, their totem poles. Only thing is totem poles were not part of their worship. Totems celebrated legends, events, or simply the wealth and crest of the family for whom it was created. The poles were neither worshipped nor had any religious significance. What a tragic loss.

Ignorance of cultural values is not unique to the Watch Tower; it is but one part of the composite sign of their stupidity and insensitivity.

Freeman

66

Are Jehovah's Witnesses evil?

by SexyTeen in

jw
friends

i am shocked at the many accusations against jehovah's witnesses in this forum.. i know that i am young, but most of my family are jws and they are good people and i love them.

even my worldly family is very nice and i do not shun them.

the friends in the hall are very nice also.

freeman

Why are there so many accusations here? Good question, and I’m sorry to say there is good reason for all the anger. You have obviously lived a very sheltered life, and in a way I’m happy for you because what many on this board have gone through is quite ugly.

First let me say, most of us here have great affection for the witnesses, however most here have a loathing for the organization. Does this seem contradictory to you? Some here have a great love of the Lord, but contempt for the Watch Tower. Does that seem contradictory to you?

If it does, then you likely hold the belief that the Watch Tower is God’s organization; we on the other hand know it is not. The truly ungodly acts of deceit perpetrated by this organization have convinced us it is not God’s. All of this is of course carefully hidden from the outside world and to the witness community itself. And all I can advice you is learn, research yourself, you won’t like what you find, but at least you will know the real truth.

Freeman

11

What is the Average age of JWs?

by badboy in

jw
friends

does anyone know what is the average age of a jw?

freeman

Sky,
Bad Boy asked what the ‘average’ age was. I believe you have average age confused with 'mean' age. Then again at 105, I’ll bet they’re pretty mean, on average that is.

Freeman (in an attempt at dry humor)

9

Could a 'true' Christian be elected to office?

by ozziepost in

jw
friends

if one of jehovahs witnesses were to stand for election, what would be the consequences?.

this is not merely a hypothetical question for it has occurred in recent times.

see, for example, this thread: .

freeman

Excellent post Ozzie,

Not only could and did Christians hold office as you have so well documented here, they also could be and were part of the armed forces. Does not the Bible mention the full convergence of a Roman officer to Christianity? Yep. Was he ever told to renounce his position before his baptism or any time after? Nope. Being no part of the world obviously did not mean a ban on membership in the armed forces, holding political office and logically by extension voting too.

Freeman

17

Are there any scholars in the society?

by sleepy in

jw
friends

i was having quite an intense disscussion (ok, argument )with some of my family last weekend.. my brother said in answer to some points that i raised , that the society has scholars who do research and will have the answer to my questions.. i said i know of no sholars in the society, he said thats because the world does not recognise them as such.what i ment (but did not continue saying as the conversation changed direction , again) was that the people who do research and study for the society arent really scholars as they are not free to look for the real truth only to confirm what the society says.their skills are really knowledge of the societies beliefs.. well it is true that a scholar is just someone who has a great knowledge of a particular subject.so you could argue that the society does have scholars as they are people with great knowledge of the organistaions rules .but what must people would mean my scholars are people who put a great deal of time and effort into research and study of an issue as to whether it is true or false, real or make believe.. can the society have scholars in that sense?.

well a recent watchtower article stated that we could not even have private opinions on bibles matters.. in order to research whether a certain witness view point was valid or not you would have to entertain the idea that a certain viewpoint could be wrong.

but this would put you at odds with the society , as you cannot think differently even privately your own opinions on bible matters.

freeman

Does the society have scholars?

If your question is to be understood in the ordinary sense that the ‘man on the street’ would understand, the answer is likely no.

The man on the street would not only understand it to mean a person well versed in the subject matter, but also someone ‘well lettered’, that is to say someone in possession of an advanced degree in this field. Since the society has a history of strongly discouraging higher education, and the fact that it is impossible for anyone with in-depth Biblical knowledge to support many of the society’s positions without employing copious amounts of mental gymnastics, the logical answer to your question is no, or very unlikely.

Freeman

11

Circuit leasing is expanding

by DazedAndConfused in

jw
friends

i don't have time to look up a post that showed that the society has a circuit leasing site...........so here we go.

lol.

i looked up circuit leasing in my program "copernic" (ah what a wonderful thing) and i came up with a page that shows that not only are they in grand rapids, mi but they are also in 4 other states.

freeman

For an organization that stresses that we are so close to the end, they seem to be highly entrenched in this system. Not only does the organization hold unbelievable wealth in the form of physical assets, they are highly invested in the stock market as well. Unlike the churches they love to condemn, none of this wealth is ever shared with those in need. Add to that the fact that one of their holdings produces profits every time the US drops a smart bomb.

Yes the organization is much more entrenched in this system of things then any individual witness would ever dare to be. This makes them hypocrites of the highest order!

Freeman

54

I Went in Field Service Yesterday!!

by Valentine in

jw
friends

i must say i thoroughly enjoyed doing streetwork for the first time in my life!!.

it was really cold here in chicago yesterday,snow clouds looming in the sky.

about 10 am i decided to run home for my cofee break.. as i rushed down the main street,walking quickly,i saw 2 groups of jw's w/ their mags on the main street near home.. i haven't seen any around my territory since last spring.. humph i thought.. i double-timed it home,bundled up,grabbed my stacks of silentlambs posters and ran back to the main street.. i stood on the corner,several feet ahead of them and started saying hi to passers by.

freeman

Valentine,
That was excellent. Now remember to write down your time and if you happen to do this again and see any of the same people, that counts as a return visit. Great job!

Freeman

36

Where were you when you first came here?

by Xena in

jw
friends

i noticed in a couple of threads people discussing the impact this board would have on jw's with doubts coming here and reading the messages.

it got me to wondering where most people that post here were at...what stage in their jw/ex jw process...when they started reading and/or posting here.

also curious, when you did come here what was your main focus?

freeman

I had a wife and child to support, living in a basement, and was working two jobs struggling to make ends meet. By chance I was offered a lucrative consulting job with NASA. I took the job but because of my extensive travel, the elders told me I had to make a choice between my NASA dream job, or the meetings. That was in 1987. I stopped going to meetings then, and felt guilt all these years because I could not lead the life I knew or thought I should be leading. A few years ago I tried to make a comeback into the JW world for the sake of my family only to discover, thanks to the Internet, the lies and deceit I once held as truth. I’ve been trying to get my wife and children out ever since. I’m still trying and will not give up hope, but in the meantime this board and a few others like it (h2O) have been Godsends, I know I’m not alone. Thank you all!

Freeman

24

How Big a Liar Are You?

by Mindchild in

jw
friends

it seems nothing gets the good people in here so upset as lies.

we all seem to be extra sensitive to lies and damned lies because of being victimized by one of the biggest lairs around, the wts.. but have you ever really tested yourself to find out if you are really snow white yourself?

you got the guts to find out?

freeman

I Ain't No Saint, but I guess I'm not too bad. Here are the results of the test:

Average Liar

You are a hard one to read. You might have been lying each time you clicked an answer or you might have been telling the truth. Chances are good you at least believe you were telling the truth.

You think of yourself as a decent and loving person. You like to have fun but within reason. You do your best not to hurt other people's feelings, even if it might put you in uncomfortable situations sometimes. That can lead to problems. Every once in a while you have seen yourself explode because people just aren't noticing how damn nice you are all the time!

You should get more credit. And you try harder sometimes. But things don't always work out the way you plan.

You make a good partner a relationship and you usually don't find trouble being monogamous. Your partners have been a different story. Well, take some comfort from Lies People Tell -- it's not your fault. Some people are just, well, liars -- even worse than you.